讀後心得

Ms. Liu (a pseudonym) works at an internet company in Shanghai. She states that the issue of overtime remains serious, although companies now publicly discourage it. Recently, during the Two Sessions in China, there was a discussion on "curbing internal competition" and a call for companies to stop requiring overtime. However, many companies, especially in the automotive industry, still force employees to work overtime. This excessive overtime caused by internal competition has led to numerous tragedies, and changes in labor regulations are still difficult to achieve. Despite the existence of "anti-internal competition" policies, the on-site work culture has changed little, and employees generally worry that expressing the true situation could lead to dismissal. The high pressure and competition within industries also force employees to work overtime, making it impossible to achieve a genuine work-life balance.

"In fact, we are just taking our work home to continue, so when the lights in the building go out, it seems like we are not working overtime on the surface, but who can really avoid working overtime?" Ms. Liu (a pseudonym), who works for an internet company in Shanghai, told the media. During this year's two sessions in China, "rectifying involution" became a hot topic, followed by reports from some media calling for companies to stop overtime to meet this demand. However, employees from several companies in the industry stated that "overtime is still ongoing." In recent years, the term "involution" has been used to describe the phenomenon of excessive competition. Some netizens have described it as "gaining a slight advantage through self-exploitation and intense competition within a group." The most common forms of "involution" include lengthy report requirements and the accompanying overtime culture. In recent years, there have been numerous reports of employees dying suddenly due to forced overtime at major companies. For example, Chery Automobile was reported to have employees work 120 hours of overtime within a month, while their monthly salary was only 4,800 yuan. In 2023, Chery's executives even sent emails requesting that all departments work overtime on Saturdays, and the new energy vehicle company NIO was also accused of similar situations.

According to China’s labor law, employees are not allowed to work more than 8 hours a day, with an average weekly work hour limit of 44 hours. During the period when the "996" concept was popular, the Supreme Court of China ruled that "996" violated the Labor Law, but these regulations have seen little change in actual enforcement. On July 30, 2024, a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee emphasized the need to safeguard the development of emerging industries and stressed the prevention of "involutionary" competition. Chinese leaders also highlighted the need to "actively break the 'involution' competition" at this year's National People's Congress. As official emphasis on "rectification" increased, the media began reporting on new policies from companies such as Meituan canceling overtime deductions for couriers and DJI's offices turning off lights on time, making "no overtime" a trending topic on Weibo. However, Ms. Liu indicated that she requested anonymity because "reporting the actual overtime situation to the media could result in being fired."

In the broader context of "anti-involution," the government is focusing on industries such as automobiles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaics. Simultaneously, the authorities not only require control over price wars but also demand improvements in production models within these industries. Despite officials and the Political Bureau clearly stating "anti-involution," employees from several companies told the media that overtime is still the norm. Mr. Li, an employee of a new energy vehicle company, mentioned, "Talking to the media about the details of overtime could lead to dismissal." The implementation of the term "anti-involution" has barely brought about noticeable changes for employees.

Parts suppliers in the automotive industry also face the same dilemma. Mr. Wang, an automotive parts manufacturer from Jiangsu, expressed that even under the pressure during the pandemic in recent years, he is unwilling to cooperate with Chinese-funded automobile companies due to "excessive pressure." He pointed out that Chinese-funded enterprises' orders come suddenly and in abundance, leading to enforced overtime, which he views as unnecessary, and he does not prioritize these companies, stating, "I have my own family to take care of, and I don't have time to play numerical games with Chinese-funded car companies." It is noteworthy that even though the government has issued documents requesting auto companies to avoid low-price competition, BYD still demands suppliers to reduce prices by 10% starting in 2025. "Forced overtime and reducing costs—how is this related to 'anti-involution'?" Mr. Wang questioned.

Within the industry, many employees express surprise at the mention of "automakers that do not require overtime." Mr. Yu noted that positions requiring overtime generally offer higher salaries, and applicants come prepared for this mentally before interviews. "The process from car design to production is long and complex, requiring consideration of intellectual property, technology, and supply chain aspects. In this fast-paced environment, workers almost have no choice but to work overtime." He mentioned that market pressure in the industry forces companies to speed up product iterations. According to industry media reports, from 2016 to 2023, the Chinese market released a total of 1,028 new car models, but many new cars did not meet sales expectations post-launch, indicating market competition pressure caused by an entertainment bubble.

In the face of internal market competition, Chinese car companies have shifted their focus towards overseas markets. Due to rapid product updates, they need to continuously adapt to market demands, exacerbating the issue of employee overtime. Taking a well-known company as an example, the frequent launches of L9, L8, and L7, combined with high working hours and a six-day work week, leave employees exhausted. "BYD is set to launch 2025 models as early as 2024," Mr. Li lamented, "under such circumstances, how are we supposed to work?" Furthermore, high employee turnover in the industry often leads to slow decision-making, while some employees need to juggle multiple projects simultaneously.

Faced with the challenge of overtime culture, although China's labor law sets a limit on working hours, most workers find it difficult to uphold their legal rights in practice. A series of government actions aimed at "anti-involution" has not significantly changed corporate behavior. Although the aforementioned companies publicly oppose overtime culture, in practice, they continue to shift their focus towards overseas markets to cope with the pressures from market saturation.